This invention is concerned about improvements of organic waste disposal equipment and systems that utilize microbes"" bioactivities.
As waste disposal capacity is a big problem for each local self-governing body nowadays, organic waste disposal equipment is spreading not only for home use but also among restaurants and other food businesses as well as poultry farming, hog-raising and other industries.
Waste disposal equipment is either a recycle type to make use of wastes as compost or a disappearance type to let most of wastes disappeared by microbes"" bioactivities. Among these two, various kinds of the latter type, i.e. utilizing microbes, are sold by electrical appliances manufacturers and others as microbes are readily available due to the recent development of biotechnology.
One of the advantages of waste disposal equipment utilizing bioactivities is that you can readily introduce one as microbes let wastes almost disappear to save your time and trouble. This type of waste disposal equipment is not only useful at general households, apartments and condominiums or their adjacent restaurants, but also is utilized for industrial or commercial purposes as it is expandable to a large scale. Also in the case of processing by microbes, waste treatment containers are filled with decomposition media such as wooden chips, wooden dust or peat moss, etc. as a carrier to maintain microbes of soil and other types that decompose protein, cellulose, etc. These decomposition media provide microbes with fermentation beds so that wastes are disposed by fermentative decomposition. Wastes are loaded one after another to be decomposed and part or whole of decomposition media is available for use as compost after the decomposition process.
In the case of waste disposal utilizing bioactivities, sure and prompt disposal is achieved by mixing wastes with decomposition media in a dependable way. However, conventional waste disposal systems or equipment have a problem of wastes remaining non-decomposed because they mainly adopt mixing impellers within treatment tanks leaving some dead spaces where mixing is difficult. This problem has been a factor of inefficiency of decomposition process as well as a major cause of foul odors.
In addition, equipment structures and mixing methods of conventional systems have caused enlargement of equipment size bringing about various problems as a result. For example, there is a space problem and in many cases installation is impossible for large-sized waste disposal equipment. Moreover, due to the batch system employed, you have to wait for completion of decomposition process in one treatment tank before proceeding to the next decomposition process, in other words, a defect of slow response to the fluctuating disposal quantity.
Besides, there is a problem of lowering operational efficiency, as you have to suspend operation of the equipment for exchanging decomposition media or removing powdery dust and non-decomposable leftovers, which you have to do periodically. On top of this, in the case of waste disposal utilizing bioactivities, moisture content gradually accumulates to a saturation point as decomposition advances, which in turn prevents air circulation to make microbes weak or die out and reduces disposal capacity. This problem tends to become the more serious as the bigger treatment tanks are and also causes offensive odors due to the change into anaerobic conditions.
In the wake of the above-mentioned problems, the inventor of this system has devoted himself to research and development to succeed in this invention. This invention has a feature in its treatment method that wastes are disposed by microbes while they are circulating within treatment tanks, i.e., wastes stored at the bottom part of a treatment tank are transferred to the upper part of its own or other tanks by lifting conveyors. A feature of this invention in its hardware mechanism, on the other hand, is that this waste disposal equipment utilizing bioactivities consists of waste treatment tanks and lifting conveyors that transfer wastes stored at the bottom part to the upper part of their own or other tanks.
xe2x80x9cTreatment tanksxe2x80x9d stated in this document are containers to store wastes and decomposition media in which microbes are maintained. Wastes are disposed within treatment tanks by fermentative decomposition. Structures and shapes of treatment tanks can be any style without limitations. In the case of this invention, however, because content at the bottom part of treatment tanks is transferred to own or other tanks by lifting conveyors for blending and mixing purposes, the system with lifting conveyors equipped outside of treatment tanks (hereinafter referred to as [Outside conveyor type]) is made to have an outflow exit at the bottom part of treatment tanks so that content is sent to lifting conveyors or transfer devices connecting to the conveyors. In the case of this invention with lifting conveyors equipped inside of treatment tanks (hereinafter referred to as [Inside conveyor type]), content is circulated within treatment tanks as is done conventionally. The inside conveyor type may be equipped with plural numbers of conveyors to improve mixing efficiency. As to material of treatment tanks, plastics, stainless steel or other materials difficult to corrode are preferable. Decomposition media is a carrier to maintain microbes of soil and other types as above mentioned, for example, wooden chips, wooden dust, peat moss, active carbon not too wet, zeolite particles, ceramics balls, natural minerals, rice husks, etc.
In order to release powdery dust and water which are produced along with the microbes decomposition process, treatment tanks may be made to have through holes, mesh parts at their bottom part or equipped with containers having such holes or meshes as another option. Containers with through holes or mesh parts may be made of metal sheets with punching holes or metal wire nets, for example. In the case of plastics, punching or molds with many holes may be employed. Water receivers are fitted under a container with through holes and then water gathered should be discharged after treatment by water treatment devices or the like. Water receivers may be installed under plural numbers of such containers, too. Water treatment devices can be any general type without limitations.
Waste disposal equipment and systems of this invention can respond flexibly to increase or decrease of waste volume by either piling up or reducing treatment tanks. In this connection, lifting conveyors, either outside or inside type, may be added or reduced corresponding with the height of piled up treatment tanks. In the case of outside conveyor type, another lifting conveyor may be connected to the original lifting conveyor separately, or else you may set up a conveyor at the maximum permissible height from the beginning so that you may adjust it to load wastes into the uppermost tank by shooters or the like. Additionally, in the case of outside conveyor type, circulation of wastes may be done within one treatment tank (The piled up treatment tanks are regarded as one tank in this invention.) or among plural numbers of treatment tanks installed in parallel by transferring wastes from one tank to another in series by lifting conveyors. In this regard, those plural numbers of treatment tanks may be connected to form an endless mechanism to let wastes circulate therein and also may have a mechanism to open the last end treatment tank for discharging content so that you may make use of the equipment as a fertilizer maker.
xe2x80x9cLifting conveyorsxe2x80x9d are devices to transfer wastes at the bottom part to the upper part of treatment tanks. In the case of outside conveyor type, wastes may be transferred to either own or other tanks installed in parallel. A mechanism of lifting conveyors may be any style without limitations as long as it produces thrust force, for example, screw conveyors or mixing impellers with some angles. And also cutters may be built in at some part to crush wastes during the transfer process. In the case of outside conveyor type, you may design the bottom part of treatment tanks to send content into lifting conveyors or you may install screw conveyors or belt conveyors between treatment tanks and lifting conveyors separately.
xe2x80x9cAir supply ductsxe2x80x9d are devices to be installed within treatment tanks to help promote decomposition by sending oxygen into content of treatment tanks. Air supply ducts not only send in fresh air but also send in warm air to get appropriate temperature for microbes to thrive.
xe2x80x9cPlastic pipes or tubesxe2x80x9d are empty capsules of comparatively short length to be blended with decomposition media. Material of plastic pipes may be either hollow plastics such as PP (polypropylene) and PE (polyethylene),which are not affected by microbes, or biodegradable plastics to be decomposed after a certain period of time, for example, ones made from starch and protein as generally known, or ones made from chemical synthesis or utilizing microbes like lactic acid. In this invention, however, there are no limitations as long as they are biodegradable plastics decomposed by microbes under a certain condition. If you utilize biodegradable plastics, it is extremely convenient when you replace wastes of old decomposition media. It is also possible to adjust decomposition period to say, 3 months, 1 year, 2 years, etc. Shapes are not specific and may be square, oblong or polygonal without limitations. Size may be about 20 mm in diameter and 20 mm in length. Large quantities of these pipes are blended with decomposition media to make fermentative beds for microbes. Quantity of pipes should be about the same as decomposition media in volume under normal conditions.
In the case of fermentative beds blended with pipes, under highly damp or wet conditions due to a lot of moisture produced during waste decomposition process, the pipes are put into a condition where they are filled with decomposition media including microbes. Under this condition, decomposition media outside of pipes are reduced in volume allowing more gaps among pipes to facilitate air circulation, hence leading to more oxygen supply. On the other hand, because decomposition media turn to a dry condition as decomposition advances, decomposition media stacked inside of tubes come out to restore the original condition. By blending a lot of pipes or tubes, therefore, a good environment for microbes to thrive is maintained in response to too wet or too dry conditions of waste disposal process accordingly. In other words, the most important functions of decomposition media such as humidity control, air circulation and providing microbes with a settling place are fulfilled.
Furthermore, as microbes are protected inside of pipes, damages during mixing process are decreased to result in an advantage of maintaining their decomposition capability for a longer period. In the case of plastics pipes, friction is small and slippery among them to have an effect of lower energy required for mixing motion, better durability of decomposition media and longer period of continuous operation. You may also choose colors of pipes to create clean images.